Collapsible building structure



Jan. 23, 1962 B. B. GREENBIE 3,917,893

COLLAPSIBLE BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 2, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet l Home5. Greenbie 1N VEN TOR.

B. B. GREENBIE COLLAPSIBLE BUILDING STRUCTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 23,1962 Filed Sept. 2, 1958 Jan. 23, 1962 B. B. GREENBIE 3,017,893

COLLAPSIBLE BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 2, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 3Barrie B. Greenbie 1N VEN TOR.

Jan. 23, 1962 a. B. GREENBIE COLLAPSIBLE BUILDING STRUCTURE 5Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 2, 1958 Barr/e B. Greenbie 1N VEN TOR.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Vhm IN VEN TOR.

B. Greenb arr/e MER B. B. GREENBIE COLLAPSIBLE BUILDING STRUCTURE Jan.23, 1962 Filed Sept. 2, 195a United Smtes Patent 7,893 COLLAPSIBLEBUILDING STRUCTURE Barrie B. Greenbie, Greenfield Center, N.Y., assignort Portapavilion Structures, Ltd, New York, N.Y., a corporation of NewYork Filed Sept. 2, 1958, Ser. No. 758,502 7 Claims. (Cl. 135--7.1-)

This invention relates to structures and more particularly tocollapsible structures of the type which may be erected on a site, used,then taken down for storage or for transporting to a new site forsubsequent erection.

Although the invention deals principally with a portable structure, itis to be understood at the outset that it is unnecessary that thestructure be moved from one place to another. The principles of theinvention are applicable equally between portable and stationarystructures.

The invention provides a lightweight rigid framework for supporting atent-like covering of plastic or other material, without interior postsor other interior supports that are located in such position as toobstruct vision from within the building.

The structure of this invention is ideally suited for a portable theaterbut, of course, the actual use of the structure is left within theprerogative of the owner. For instance, military installationshave usednumerous Quonset huts, and the principles of this invention areapplicable as a substitute for a Quonset hut or as a building' companionthereto. This means that this invention has application in connectionwith garages and many other types of occupations, trades, etc.

An object of the invention is to provide a building structure which iseasily assembled with a minimum crew but yet, which provides a verysturdy, lightweight, functional and architecturally distinctive buildingstructure with no columns or posts to obstruct vision from anywherewithin the area enclosed by the building structure.

To achieve this, the invention has a plurality of cantilever trusses andexterior struts which eliminate the need for interior poles and exteriorguy ropes, making the framework a self-supporting, free standingstructure that is stable and which may be put to any number of uses.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is atop view of a collapsible building structure constructed inaccordance with the invention, parts being broken away to illustrateotherwise hidden detail.

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of'the structure in FIGURE 1. 7

FIGURE 3 is an enlargedfragmentary view showing one of the trussesduring erection;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a constructiondetail showingprincipally the wiring in the lower chord memberof one of the trusses.

FIGURE 5 is a persp'ectiveview of one of the anchors used in thestructure.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view of the anchor in FIG- URE 5.

FIGURE 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a portion of thetemporary center post used for erection and the various parts of thestructure thereon.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line '8'8' of FIGURE3.

FIGURE 9 'is' a largely diagrammatic view showing only two of eighttrusses in a modification o'ftheinven- 3,917,893 Patented Jan. 23, 1962FIGURE 10 is a diagrammatic view of the embodr' ment in FIGURE 9 showingthe two trusses erected.

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 11--11 ofFIGURE 10.

FIGURE 12 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 1212 of FIGURE11.

FIGURE 13 is a diagrammatic view showing a by draulic or pneumaticsystem for erecting the structure of FIGURE 9. g

In the accompanying drawings there are two embodiments of the inventionwhich are illustrated, although the principles of the invention areapplicable with numerous forms, variations and embodiments ofcollapsible structures. There is a collapsible building structure 10 inFIGURES l8, and this structure is portable. How ever it is to beunderstood that the same structure may be erected permanently or forextended periods of time without in any way affecting the invention.Taking. full advantage of the advance made in this art, though, theportable phase of the invention must be considered. Structure 10 has aframework 12 made of a plurality of radial trusses. Eight such trusseshave been found to be practical for erecting a building suitable for aportable theater, although this number may be increased or decreaseddepending on the size and nature of the building desired. A typicaltruss 14 (FIG. 3) is made of an upper chord member 16 and a lower chordmember 18 with connecting members 26, 21 and 22 attached by fittings tothe upper and lower chord members; The upper chord is made in two parts24 and 26 which are attached to fitting 28 at their adjacent ends andwhich are at tached at their outer ends to fitting 3d and slide 32respectively. Guy wire bracing 34 is crossed between adjacent membersZtl, 21 and 22 in order to accept some of the tension stresses that areapplied to the truss during and after erection.

The lower chord member 13 is shown in detail in FIGURE 4. It is hollow,as are essentially all other parts of the trusses and the remainder ofthe structural components in the framework 12. This is for weighteconomy. Moreover, using'hollow members enables electrical wiring to beconcealed within the framework. A group of sockets 36 are connected tothe lower ch'ord member 18 with the wiring 38 for the passing into thelower chord member by way of a sleeve-40' on fitting 42. This is thefitting to which brace 21 is fastened. Fitting'44 has wiring 38 passedthrough it, fitting 44 being at the inner end of the lower chord member18 and used to facilitate attaching the lower chord member to the slide32.

Slide 32 (FIG. 7) is made of a base" plate 46 with a plurality of radialbrace plates 43 fi'xed to it and fixed to the sleeve 50, the latterwelded or otherwise secured to base plate 46 and in alignment with anopening in the center thereof. The slide is adapted to move verticallyon the temporary post 52 at the center of the building" structureframework to facilitate erection. The major-part of the post is removedafter erection so that it does not obstruct vision from anywhere withinthe enclosure of the building. Fitting 44 is a nipple threaded orotherwise attached to the inner extremity of the lower chord member 18,and it has an car 55 with an opening to accommodate a hinge pin. Thehinge pin is passed through one of the apertures 58 in one of the plates48 of slide '32. Fitting 60 in the lower chord member 18 is a sleevewhich is attached by pins 62 to the adjacent ends of the lower chordmember parts or sections. Here again, pins 62 are suggested due to theirease of assembly and-economy, although other fasteners such as screwthreads could be used. Fitting 41 (FIG. 3) to which brace 21 is secured,is identical to fitting 60*. However, 'fitting -42, to-Which brace 20 isattached, is slightly different becaus'e itzhas sleeve 40 through whichthe cable or other wirin'g g38 is passed. Although the fitting 42 isselected for accepting the wiring, this being the most practical pointof entry, it is to be understood that the electrical outlets 36 may beprovided in any number of other hollow structural members of theframework in addition to the lower chord members of the trusses or inlieu of the lower chord members of the trusses. Fitting 42 isconstructed of a sleeve having pins 66 that attach the ends of theadjacent parts or sections of the lowerchord member to the fitting.Upper ear 68 protruding from the sleeve of the fitting 42. has brace 20connected to it by means of a pin. Lower ear 70 has an aperture in it toaccept a pin by which upright or post 72 is pivoted to the fitting. Thispost or upright is not within the enclosure of the building structure10. On the contrary, it constitutes a part of the Wall of the buildingshould a curtain or backdrop be de sired. Moreover, diagonal bracing 74may be attached to the posts 72, there being one for each truss. Thefinal fitting 30 on the lower part of thetruss 14 is constructed of asleeve to which adjacent parts of the upper chord member part 24 aresecured, and it has a depending ear (FIG. 3) to which diagonal brace 76is secured. Further, the depending ear has the final or outwardmost partof the lower chord member connected thereto for instance, by beingattached to the same hinge pin 78 that is used for diagonal brace 76.

The upper chord member 16 has fittings 79 and 80 that are of identicalconstruction, consisting of a sleeve with a depending apertured ear towhich the braces 20 and 21 are pinned. Fitting 28 has an ear 82protruding laterally from it and to which the part 26 of the upper chordmember 16 is pinned. A fiat walled notch 84 is in the sleeve of fitting28 and it has a hole to accept a pin by which another part of section ofthe upper chord member is fastened. There is a member 90 that forms anaxial extension of brace 22, and this is connected by pin 92 to thefitting 28 (FIGS. 3 and 4). A part of an umbrella-like framework isoperatively connected with member 90 and will be described subsequently.

Returning now to the post 72 and the diagonal brace 76, attention isinvited to FIGURES and 6. Anchor 96 is convertible so that it may beused for piercing the soil or on a solid foundation. When thecollapsible structure is to be erected on soil, sod or any other type ofground without a concrete or like foundation, anchoring pin 98 ispierced into the soil. The anchoring pin has a sharp end and a threadedend 100 which is adapted to be threaded into socket 102. The socket issecured to anchor plate 104, for instance, by being welded or brazed,and separably holds the anchoring pin 98. When the structure is to beerected on a more solid base, for instance on concrete, asphalt, etc.,the anchoring pin 98 is removed and replaced by a foot. In either case,anchor plate 104 accommodates the lower ends of post 72 and brace 76. Apair of parallel plates 106 and 108 are welded or otherwise secured toplate 104 and they are spaced apart sufliciently to accept the lowerextremities of the post 72 and brace 76. Pairs 110 and 112 of alignedapertures are in plates 106 and 108 so that pins 114 and 116 may passthrough them and through apertures in the lower extremities of the brace76 and the post 72. It is evident from inspection of FIGURE 3 thatdiagonal brace 76 remains idle during erection. But as soon as the trusshas been elevated to the correct position (shown in dotted lines in FIG.3), the diagonal brace 76 is fastened by pin 116 to the anchor 96.Moreover, during erection post 72 is capable of hinged movement aboutits pin 114 connecting it to anchor 96.

The previously referred to umbrella-like frame 120 has for each truss, apair of frame members 122 and 124. The frame member 122 extends from thecrown 126 to the previously referenced member 90 shown as a longitudinalcoaxial extension of brace 22 of truss 14. The member 122 is made in twosections 130 and 132 connected by fitting 134. The fitting 134 is asleeve into which the confronting ends of sections and 132 are placedand pinned. The frame 120 member 124 is connected to an ear on fitting134 by a hinge pin and is connected to collar that is slidable ontemporary post 52. As shown in FIGURE 7 collar 140 is made of a ring 142with a plurality of short radial arms 144, there being one arm for eachbrace 120 and more particularly, one arm for the frame member 124 ofeach frame 120. A pin is used to connect the inner end of member 124 toone of the short arms 144'. Further, the ring 142 has a key 146protruding radially inwardly, and the key slides in a keyway or slot 150that extends longitudinally in the temporary post 52. The key 146operating in the key slot 150 prevents the collar 140 from rotating butpermits it to slide vertically on the temporary post.

Crown 126 has an upper plate 152 which may be orna merited or shaped inany other way, for instance conical as shown. The crown plate 152 issecured to a sleeve 154 that fits on the center post 156. This is ashort coaxial extension of the temporary post 52 that remains high inthe collapsible structure and therefore, is well out of the line ofvision of any of the occupants of the building structure. Pin is used toattach the sleeve 154 to the center post 156, and there are a number ofradial brace plates 162 attached to plate 152 and to sleeve 154. Theseplates are apertured so that the inner extremity of section 130 may beattached to one of them by a pin. The outer extremity of section 132 isdisposed in sleeve 164. This sleeve is connected by a pin 166 to theupper end of member 90, the pin 166 passing through aligned openings inmember 90 and an ear 168 that is fixed to sleeve 164. There is a pinhole170 in sleeve 164 by which to accept a pin for attaching the section 132to the sleeve. As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the length of member 90 Willdetermine the final spacing between the umbrella-like frame 20 and theremainder of the framework consisting chiefly of the trusses. Thisspacing furnishes ventilation for the interior of the buildingstructure. Furthermore with the use of frame 120 and framework 12, thecovering 174 may be applied in two sections 176 and 178 to facilitatehandling. The section 176 is attached onto the frame 120 and all otherslike it. The covering 178 is attached to the upper chord of each truss.There is a wide selection of suitable coverings that are commerciallyavailable at the present time. However, a lightweight tough and sturdycovering is suggested, such as plastic, e.g. Orlon or nylon, impregnatedfabric.

The temporary center post is made of tubular construction and isseparably attached to the permanent center post 156. One possible methodof attachment is shown in FIGURE 8. In this figure there is a dowel 182attached to either post 52 or post 156 and slidably fitted into the boreof the other. The lower end of the temporary center post 52 is disposedon a jack at the center of the proposed site. The jack may be anyconventional jack operated manually. A jack stand 192 is used with thejack and furnishes a guide for the piston, screw, etc. of the jack. Thisphase of the collapsible building structure is definitely variable sincenumerous jacks are commercially available and most of them will servethe purpose very well. In any case, when the jack is operated it liftsthe temporary center post 52 and the center post 156 to the correctheight. Slide 32 is elevated, and to facilitate lifting the slide towhich all of the trusses are secured, a chain fall may be used. Sincethe framework is so light in comparison to its size, elaborate equipmentfor lifting slide 32 is unnecessary. Therefore, a rope 194 is shownentrained over a pulley 196 and secured to the slide 32. The pulley 196is hung from a collar 198 that is slidable on the post 156 but whosedownward travel is limited by fixed collar 200 that is eitherpermanently or adjustably attached onto the post 156. As rope 194 andany others identical to it, are pulled, slide 32 is lifted therebypivoting each truss 14 about hinge pins 114 and binge pins 73 thatattach post 72 to fitting. 42 and each of the other posts that areidentical to post 72 and fittings 42. At the same time all frames 120are elevated (see dotted line position of FIG. 3) with the movementthereof imparted to the frame 120 by member 90 pushing upwardly on framemember 122. Collar 140 slides upwardly onto the post 156 to anover-center position so that all of the trusses now tendv to movedownwardly, but cannot because they remain lockedin the elevatedposition by pins 157 and 159 entering apertures in post 156 and framemembers 120 locked by pin 170 to fitting 164 as described elsewhere.Braces 76 are made secure to the an ehors 96, and the buildingis now inthe erected condition' insofar as its framework is concerned. Each ofthe trusses attains lateral support from the other by a network of.cables 206 extending between adjacent trusses and fixed thereto by cableconnectors, welding or other standard techniques. Furthermore, thenetwork of cables 206 provide for intermediate support of the covering174-.

Now, the temporary center ,post 52 may be removed by lowering jack 190and slipping it from the bottom of the post 156. This leaves the entireenclosed area open and yet, the building structure is quite easilydisassembled and assembled. The interior of the collapsible buildingstructure may accommodate anything whatsoever, one or two possible useshaving been discussed previously. To select but one use, note that fortheatrical productions, the stage may be at the center or along any wallof the structure.

Reference is now'made to FIGURES 9-13. A modification of the inventionshows only a part of a finished building. This is a simplified form ofthe invention, omitting frame 120 for each truss, but illustrating thatit is within the contemplation of the invention to use power equipmentto aid in the erection of the building. Secondly, the temporary centerpost is not absolutely necessary and may be omitted. To be consistentwith the embodiment of FIGURE 1, the embodiment in FIG- URES 9-13 haseight trusses, one truss 300 of which is shown in detail. The truss 300has an upper chord member 302 and a lower chord member 304 connectedtogether by braces 306, 308, 310 and 312. Crossed cables 314 extendbetween the braces 306, 398, 310 and 312, and the cables may be attachedby any available means, for instance by cable connectors or by beingpermanently secured. A center disc 318 having a plurality of radial arms320, is located at the adjacent corners of each truss, each corner beingat the junction of the upper chord member 302 and brace 312. The radialarms have apertures by which to accommodate hinge pins. There is a hingepin 322 passed through an aperture in one of the arms 320 and through ancar 324 at the junction of upper chord member 302 and brace 312 (FIG.12). The disc 318, then, constitutes means by which to hingedly connectthe trusses together at a center, inasmuch as the trusses are radiallyarranged (FIG. 11).

Post 330 is connected by hinge pin 332 to a depending ear attached tothe lower chord member 304 near its outer extremity. The lower end ofthe post 330 is pivoted by hinge pin 334 to an anchor 336 attached to orresting on a supporting surface. The anchor may assume anyconfiguration, for instance it may be the same as the anchor in FIGURE5. What responds to the diagonal brace in the embodiment of FIGURE 1,serves an additional function in the embodiment of FIGURE 9. Thediagonal brace 338 of FIGURE 9 is made of a cylinder 340 and a pistonwith piston rod 342. The piston rod is attached by a hinge pin 344 toone or more plates of anchor 336. The cylinder 340 is attached by hingepin 346 to an ear 348 that depends from the lower chord member 304.

As shown in FIGURE 13 a fluid system may be used for retractingv thepiston 341 into cylinder 340 thereby foreshortening the brace 338. Thepivotal post 330 then acts as a fulcrum about which the truss swings inbeing elevated. FIGURE 13 has merely a diagrammatic representation of atypical fluid system. The fluid may be either liquid or gaseous inasmuchas it is within the purview of the invention to use hydraulic systems orpneumatic systems. FIGURE 13 shows a conventional compressor or pump 350connected by line 352 to one end of the cylinder 340. When air or liquidis applied into the cylinder in this way and under pressure, the piston.331 moves inwardly of the cylinder thereby causing the erection of thetruss with which the brace is operatively connected. Valve 354 is in thereturn line 356 that goes to tank 358. Manifold 360 is in return line356, there being one return line from each cylinder of each truss and ofcourse, one feed line which will be the same as line 352 for eachcylinder.

When the trusses are erected by the application of fluid (gaseous orliquid) under pressure, the valve 354, in the diagrammatic system shown,remains closed. Thereafter valve 362 in line 352 between the compressoror pump 350 and cylinder 340 is closed thereby trapping the liquid orair in the cylinder. In addition or as an alternative, a mechanical lockmay be used with each cylinder and piston assembly, and as a furtheralternative a diagonal brace may be pinned between each ear 348 andanchor 336. When erected to the piston shown in FIGURE 10 the frameworkremains in preparedness for the cover (not shown). Further, there aremeans at the adjacent parts of the lower chord members of each truss forfastening the trusses together at this point. These means may be in theform of a cable lashed around the lower ends of the braces 312, or maybe pins 370 passed through apertures in ears at the inner extremities ofthe lower chord members of the trusses, or pins 370 in apertured ears ofa disc similar to disc 318.

While the radial arrangement is the most stable of all possibilities, anoval shaped structure could be formed with two centers and lateralbracing between them. Particularly in the case of the hydraulicallyerected embodiment shown in FIGURES 9 and 10, this hinged truss systemcould be used even for a rectangular structure, with trusses arrangedparallel to each other.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A collapsible and portable structure for a building, said structurecomprising a plurality of radially arranged misses, each of said trusseshaving an upper chord and a lower chord, means including hinge pinsconnecting the trusses together at the upper chord inner extremitiesthereof, means for attaching said trusses together at the innerextremities of the lower chords thereof after said trusses have beenerected, each truss having an outer extremity region, an anchor, and apost pivoted to said anchor and pivoted to the truss in said regionthereof, and a brace attached to said truss in said region and to saidanchor, said brace including .a cylinder with a piston and piston rodoperable in said cylinder, means for supplying fluid to said cylinderand to withdraw fluid from said cylinder to extend and retract saidpiston rod relative to said cylinder, and means hingedly securing saidcylinder and said piston rod to said anchor and said truss at a positionoutwardly of the hinged connection between said post and said truss.

2. A collapsible and portable structure for a building, said structurecomprising a plurality of radially arranged trusses, each of saidtrusses having an upper chord and a lower chord, means including hingepins connecting the trusses together at the upper chord innerextremities thereof, means for attaching said trusses together at theinner extremities of the lower chords thereof after said trusses havebeen erected, each truss having an outer extremity region, an anchor, apost pivoted to said anchor and pivoted to the truss in said regionthereof, a brace attached to said truss in said region and to saidanchor, said brace including a cylinder with a piston and piston rodoperable in said cylinder, means for supplying fluid to said cylinderand withdraw fluid from said cylinder to extend and retract said pistonrod relative to said cylinder, means hingedly securing said cylinder andsaid piston rod to said anchor and said truss at a position outwardly ofthe hinged connection between said post and said truss, a network ofcables connected to said trusses to provide lateral stability for thetrusses when they are erected and to provide means on which to support acovering.

3. A portable building structure comprising a plurality of trusses,means at the inner ends of said trusses hingedly connecting said trussestogether, a plurality of posts, one of said posts being hingedlyconnected to each of said trusses inwardly spaced from the outer endsthereof, and a plurality of extensible and retractable braces, one ofsaid braces being pivotally secured to each of said trusses outwardly ofsaid posts for pivotally lifting the inner end of each truss uponretracting of each of said braces while each of said posts acts as afulcrum for said truss.

4. A portable building structure according to claim 3 5. A portablebuilding structure according to claim 4, including a plurality ofanchors pivotally connected to the lower ends of said posts, said bracesbeing pivotally connected to said anchors.

6. A portable building structure according to claim 4, including cablesextending between said trusses to provide lateral support for saidtrusses, and a covering carried by said trusses.

7. In a collapsible building structure, a plurality of substantiallyvertical spaced wall columns, a plurality of trusses, means pivotallyconnecting the inner ends of said trusses to each other, means pivotallymounting said trusses respectively on said wall columns at pivotalmounts inwardly spaced from the other ends of said trusses, means forbringing said trusses to an erected position wherein said trusses aredisposed in upwardly converging relation with said inner ends above saidpivotal mounts on said posts, said means comprising a plurality ofextensible and retractable braces pivotally connected to said trussesoutwardly of the respective pivotal mounts and pivotally connected tosaid wall columns respectively below said pivotal mounts forming a threehinge arch so that upon retracting of said braces said wall columns willact as fulcrurns for pivotally lifting the inner ends of said trusses.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS822,295 Muller June 5, 1906 1,825,800 Houseman Oct. 6, 1931 2,187,436Thofehrn et a1. Jan. 16, 1940 2,670,818 Hacker Mar. 2, 1954 2,723,673Call Nov. 15, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 959,482 France Oct. 3, 1949

